Super Mario & The Wishing Stars
by Proto-Waluigi
Summary: An old foe has returned to the Mushroom World in order to wreak havoc for Mario and his friends. When the most-sacred artifacts of Sarasaland come up missing, Mario and friends must aid Princess Daisy in recovering them, before it's too late. But, while Mario's away, Bowser will play. The dastardly Koopa King invades Toad Town and plans to take over the kingdom in Mario's absence!
1. Prologue

Super Mario & The Wishing Stars

Somewhere, in a tucked away corner of the Mushroom Kingdom, surrounded by the Toadstool Forest, rests a small house on a hill. It is a humble little home, with a chimney and a clothesline and a small porch for drinking lemonade in the afternoons and enjoying the quiet. A dinged-up metal mailbox, painted red and rusting in some places, stands at an angle just before the first step of the house, a white "M" on its side. The floors inside are wooden and, in some places, warped; a ratty woven carpet covers a large water stain in the center of the living room. The kitchen, which is separated only by a small counter jutting from the eastern wall, is heavy with the aroma of Italian cuisine. Cloves of garlic hang from the ceiling and various salamis, prosciutto and other cured meats sit in various states of wrapping, and Mushrooms are strewn across the counter. A bar stool serves as the only seat, but, then again, the house only has one resident. A staircase leads to a small second floor, having only a single bedroom and bath. And, finally, asleep on the well-worn green couch in the living room, is the home's humble resident: Mario Mario.

Hard to believe this guy's the acclaimed "hero" of the Mushroom Galaxy and its neighboring dimensions, huh? He certainly doesn't look the part, with that bulbous doorknob-nose and that mustache, or those worn-out overalls and that dingy red cap. But then again, one should never judge a book by its rather plain-looking cover; most certainly not in this case...

Prologue:

Midnight Monsoon Meeting

Rain pounded hard against the domed roof of workshop. Thunder could be heard booming in the distance. Monsoon season in Sarasaland was always a medley of heavy rains that threatened to flood the rice fields of Chai Kingdom while offering respite to the sweltering desert of the Birabuta Kingdom, and at the same time drowning the Muda Kingdom. It also served another purpose: providing near-perfect cover for the giant that loomed before an anvil the size of a small boat, a hammer barely smaller than the anvil held aloft in the figure's right hand. The creature slammed its massive mallet repeatedly against the work surface, the deafening clang of metal-on-metal reverberating through the chamber. The only light source in the room, a glowing hearth fire, cast the entire space in an eerie, slanted glow.

The sound of the workshop's only door cut through the incessant banging of hammer to metal and a hooded figure, barely a third the size of the behemoth before it, entered the room. The giant craftsmen, without turning its head, said, "_HAVE YOU RETRIEVED THAT WHICH I ASKED?" _Its voice was metallic and boomed, a masculine tone reverberated through it.

Without a word, the cloaked figure reached into its robes and produced a Star. The glowing object, no bigger than a baseball, floated above the figure's hand; it was a lusturous crimson color, with light winking from its corners as it slowly rotated clockwise in-place. The blacksmith needn't turn to see it, as he could feel the raw power emanating from the Star. "We had some...minor complications in the process of extracting the-uh-'artifact', but nothing a small addition to our pay won't fix," the hooded figure said, its speech also masculine and holding a hint of the desert in it.

"_YES, YES, AS YOU WISH. HAVE YOUR PEOPLE MANAGED TO TRACK DOWN THE REMAINING ARTIFACTS?" _

"We've narrowed down the list to a total of ten potential locations, meaning seven of them are bound to turn up with what we're looking for," the hooded man replied.

"_HMM_," the large robotic figure grumbled. "_EXPEDITE THE SEARCH. I WANT THOSE ARTIFACTS BEFORE THE COMING ECLIPSE. IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, BEAN?" _The figure slammed his sledgehammer on the anvil for emphasis, its crash rang through the chamber like a church bell at close-range.

After the ringing subsided, the cloaked man chuckled and removed his cloak, revealing a man with a slightly hunched back, skin as green as a baby lima bean, a striped shirt and black pants, a felt, black beret, and a black mask. The green man's eyes glowed golden in the dim lighting and had a mischievous, wolfish sheen that matched his toothy smile. "Don't worry that big ol' container of nuts-n-bolts, alright? My little-uh-organization has everything under control." Popple, as the man was called, walked over to the imposing figure before him and placed the Wishing Star on the anvil. "One Wishing Star, as requested. Long as you keep fronting that sweet Coin, you'll have seven more of these puppies before the Spring Equinox, see?"

The metal artisan nodded in understanding and took the Star in his large left hand. He brought it to his face and Popple could just make out the angry, red glow of his benefactor's eyes. "_WHAT COMPLICATIONS DID YOU RUN INTO, EXACTLY, POPPLE?" _

Popple blinked, he hadn't expected the Boss to ask him what went wrong at the ruins in Easton. The Beanbean cleared his throat before saying, "Well, while we were-uh-exploring the Ruins of Tekmuhet, we were confronted by a...for lack of a better term, spirit. It-uh-sort of told us-and I quote-'Seek not the eight that grant the wish of the possessor, a darkness unknown to the world shall descend and swallow the Sun and Moon, and the Stars themselves will shatter and fade into the void'." Popple paused to see if the Boss would respond at all, but he was met with a wall of icy silence. After a long, awkward moment, the thief coughed and asked, "Are you-uh-really sure, about this whole plan of yours?"

"_OF COURSE I AM SURE, YOU IMBECILE!" _Popple's boss answered angrily. He slammed his mighty hammer against the anvil before him, sending another quake through his workshop. _"I WILL SEE MY WISHES FULFILLED, EVEN IF IT MEANS THE END OF THIS ACCURSED DIMENSION."_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Winked-Out Wishes

"...rio...Mario..."

"Uh...wuh?" Mario blinked groggily as he awoke from his afternoon nap. A figure swam in his blurred vision before him, a small figure with grayish-blue skin wearing what looked like robes of deep, purple silk hemmed with canary-yellow. As he slowly came to his senses, the mustachioed plumber sat upright on the sofa in his living room and rubbed a gloved index finger under his nose. "What time is it?" Mario asked absently.

"The time, Master Mario, is quite important at this most auspicious...well, time," the figure said in a voice layered thick with the accent of Chai. As Mario's vision sharpened, he recognized this creature as a Pionpi, one of the resident species of Sarasaland. "I do apologize for having to disturb your nap, Master Mario, but I'm afraid I bear pressing matters of which you are privy to be included in," the Pionpi said.

"You're...Pon, right?" Mario asked. "I'm sorry, it's just that you look and sound very familiar..."

The Pionpi bowed slightly, "Yes, I am. It is an honor to be remembered by one such as yourself, Master Mario." The Pionpi man was smiling from ear to pointed ear. His wispy gray mustache curved into half-moons and his eyes all but disappeared in the folded around his eyes.

"It's been a while, Pon," Mario said in response, extending a white-gloved hand to shake the Pionpi's. "So, what's going on that you had to fly all the way out here?" The plumber was on his feet now, seemingly ready to jump out the door as soon as Pon finished filling him in.

"Well," the Pionpi crossed his arms, his hands disappearing into the sleeves of his robes, "there has been a string of thefts and break-ins reported as of late throughout Sarasaland. Princess Daisy and I have been doing what we can, but the trends associated with the robberies is unsettling. We thought it best to bring you, Luigi and Princess Peach to Chai City and look into this further."

"What's so unsettling about the thefts?" Mario asked, a bushy brow raised in question.

"The thieves," Pon explained, "have been targeting locations throughout Sarasaland's four kingdoms that are rumored to be the resting places of the eight Wishing Stars of Sarasian lore. I would get into more detail, but I feel it best if we gather Luigi and Her Highness before getting to that." He bowed again and began walking towards the entrance of Mario's home. "My Sky Pop is parked out front, it should seat the four of us comfortably on our trip back to Sarasa Castle." The Pionpi then opened the door and stepped outside.

Mario, with a sigh, walked to the kitchen to make sure the stove was off, locked the back door, grabbed his trusty hammer off its peg in the living room, and followed Pon out the front door.

The Sky Pop that Pon had flown over to Mario's was much larger than the model Mario remembered using to combat Tatanga, the usurper alien of Sarasaland, so many years ago. He thought for a moment that maybe "Sky Pop" was just the classification for the flying machines of the Chai Kingdom and that this model was of an entirely different sub-set all-together. It looked like a submarine with wing-like protrusions on either side and two large, tubular jet engines extending from the back. The monstrosity rested on three legs, two aft and one fore, and had a retractable gangplank extending from its underside. The entire thing was painted a soft red with golden highlights. A single, wrap-around windshield extended around the entire front portion of the ship, providing a glorious panoramic view.

The red-capped plumber walked up the gangplank and found himself in what must have been the ship's lounge. A circular sofa, leather and colored fire-engine red, was the largest piece of furniture and took up a majority of the room's space. A large, flat-screen monitor was hung above the automatic doors that led to the Sky Pop's cockpit. Conical light fixtures lined the walls on either side, interrupted occasionally by portholes. Mario spied one other door that was marked "RESTROOM", but other than that, the ship was basically composed of the cockpit and the lounge. A hatch to access the engine most have been located somewhere on the ship's underside, Mario concluded.

The plumber was admiring the view through one of the portholes as Pon emerged from the pilot's station. "Master Mario," he said. "We'll be departing now for your brother's mansion in the Haunted Woods. I suggest you buckle up. When the "ChaiPop" is in flight, it's smooth sailing, but take-off and landing can be a bit rough. You'll find the couch has seat belts for you to use. We'll be airborne momentarily." The blue-skinned man bowed slightly before returning to the ship's control center without a response.

"Well, beats a day's worth of doing nothing, I guess," Mario mused. The portly red plumber walked over to the circular couch and strapped himself in just as the Sky Pop lurched forward. Mario was jostled to his right and then his left and then straight back as the ship slowly gained altitude. After another nauseating moment, the ChaiPop evened out and Mario breathed a sigh of relief.

Pon re-entered the lounge and smiled at Mario. "The ship is on auto-pilot and will arrive at Luigi's mansion shortly, Master Mario." The Pionpi then returned to the cock pit without another word.

Mario sighed loudly and unfastened his seat belt. To his left, the plumber spied a remote control which could only have been for the lounge's monitor. In an effort to distract himself, Mario reached for the remote and pressed the power button, causing the large television to flicker before brightening. On the TV screen, a Pionpi news-reporter was in the middle of describing an unusual incident that took place at the Ruins of Tekmuhet in Easton.

"For those of you just tuning in, a burglary has taken place in the most sacred of all locations within the borders of the Easton Kingdom of our fair Sarasaland," the reporter said. "The theft is believed to have occurred sometime late last night at the Ruins of Tekmuhet, the tomb of the alleged first ruler of Easton. The ruins were being excavated by a team of Toads from the Mushroom Kingdom, led by none other than renowned retainer to Princess Peach Toadstool, Kinopio!"

At the mention of his close friend, Toad "Kinopio", Mario sat ramrod-straight in his seat, eyes locked on the screen. "No information is known about the thieves in question, just that they ransacked the excavation site of Kinopio's Brigade and made off with what some believe may have been one of the legendary Wishing Stars of Sarasaland. Kinopio and his crew were unharmed and actually sleeping at the Easter Inn located at the nearby Easter Village," the reporter continued. "Local and national authorities are currently investigating. Kinopio and his associates were asked to comment but denied. And now, onto the day's weather..."

Mario stopped listening and closed his eyes, arms crossed and brow furrowed. So, Kinopio and the other Toads were somehow involved in all of this. No doubt Peach had already caught wind of it. What, exactly, was going on?

The plumber's train of thought was derailed at that moment as the ship pitched to the right suddenly, sending Mario careening into the wall. He fell to the floor with a dull thud and grunted in pain. The ship lurched to the front and Mario found himself sliding along. He didn't fight it, instead allowing the Sky Pop to land before attempting to get to his feet. Mario wobbled for a moment, his head throbbing painfully, and turned to face the door to the cockpit of the ChaiPop.

Pon stepped through and bowed in Mario's direction, a small device in his hand. "We have arrived just outside of Luigi's mansion, Master Mario. I've idled the ship just above the courtyard so that take-off isn't as...bumpy this time. If you wouldn't mind, I'll lower the gangplank for you and drop down a ladder so you and your brother can get back aboard?" It wasn't really a question, Mario knew. Everyone just sort-of expected him to be okay with things like this. Pon pressed the button on the device, a remote, and the gangplank lowered itself into open air with a hiss. There was about ten feet of open air between the bottom of the gangplank and the grounds of Luigi's home, but a rope ladder dropped from the end of the plank, reducing the space to a mere three feet.

"No problem," Mario answered. "I'll be back in five minutes!" The mustachioed plumber walked over to gangplank and jogged down before leaping into the open air and landing soundly on his feet at the front door to his brother's more-than-humble abode. The gravity of the Mushroom World was less than that of Earth, allowing Mario to make such daring jumps without cause for concern. He walked up to the front door of the mansion and knocked twice.

Luigi's home was truly a sight to see, since Luigi had fixed it up, that is. The exterior was a cream color, with dark green accents, dark green doors and matching tiles for the roof. The hedges and trees out front were trimmed and well taken care of, and the fountain Luigi had installed cast lovely rainbows as it sprayed a fine mist from the statue of a large Cheep-Cheep at its center. Mario didn't have to wait long as his brother's ghostly pooch, Polterpup (Pup, for short), answered the door.

"_Rrrwoof!" _Pup barked, his voice resounding on some deeper level than a normal animal's would, side-effect of being a ghost. The ghost dog didn't linger in the doorway long, instead turning around to trot inside.

Mario just smirked and followed. The mansion's interior was as impressive as, if not more so than, the outside. The walls were covered by a cream wallpaper and the foyer opened to an enormous gold and crystal chandelier that hung just before the staircase leading to the second floor. A lavish green and gold carpet extended from the front doors all the way up to the mid-landing of the staircase. Several potted flowers were resting atop small, wooden tables, tastefully displaced between doorways and portraits Luigi had commissioned and bought with his fortunes from defeating King Boo. Mario followed Polterpup as the ghost hung a right just before the staircase and phased through a closed door.

Mario opened the door to find his brother passed out in a decorative arm chair, the Poltergust 5000 resting in his lap and a wrench hanging loosely in his right hand. Pup had settled down at Luigi's feet and seemed to be sleeping, but barked as Mario walked over. The ghost's opaque eyes followed the red plumber as he nudged Luigi to wakefulness.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey, Weegee," Mario said. He gently poked at Luigi's shoulder, causing his younger brother to stir. "C'mon, bro, no time for naps! We have a problem, and it involves Daisy!"

As if he had just been electrocuted, Luigi sprang to consciousness, gripping the Poltergust threateningly and waving its nozzle around. "What happened to my Daisy?!" He asked to no one in particular. Mario simply chuckled and allowed his brother to gather his senses. Luigi seemed to finally focus on Mario and blinked. "Bro?" He asked, lowering the nozzle of the super-powered vacuum-cleaner. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get you so we can go to Sarasaland," Mario explained. "Daisy's ward, Pon, flew over to my place saying he needs you, me, and Princess Peach to come with him to Sarasa Castle. Apparently, someone robbed Kinopio in Easton and is making off with some powerful artifacts."

Luigi grimaced and absently petted Pup, the ghost dog's normally incorporeal form becoming solid at his master's touch. "And you're _sure _you need me to come along?" Luigi asked, more than a hint of apprehension in his voice.

Mario crossed his arms and frowned at his brother. "You're saying you don't _want _to go see Daisy?"

Luigi frantically waved his hands in front of him, as if to dispel the accusation. "No, no," he said. "Of course I want to see her!" Luigi paused a moment, then sighed with resignation, "When do we leave?"

Mario laid a hand on his brother's arm and yanked him towards the door, "Right now!"

"Wha-Mario! Wait!" Luigi clutched the Poltergust to his side, holding it like a sack of rice. Pup trotted along as well, wanting to be part of the fun.

Once outside, Mario jumped up, grabbed one of the lower rungs of the ladder and climbed back aboard the ChaiPop. Luigi made a face and looked at Polterpup. "I need you to protect the mansion for me," he said. "I don't know how long I'll be away, but promise me you'll be good and keep this place safe, okay?"

"_Rwoof!" _Pup responded. He whimpered and shifted his paws in-place, but remained in front of the mansion doors as Luigi jumped up to join his brother on the ChaiPop, but not before giving his ghost pet a nice pat on the head and a treat from his overalls' pocket.

Polterpup looked on as the Sky Pop's ladder and gangplank retracted into the ship and it slowly ascended before taking off across the skies. The ghost dog seemed worried, and, if he had ears, they may have been drooping to see his master and friend leave.

"Yeesh, why can't we go more than a few months without some new major disaster coming up?" Luigi was openly complaining as the ChaiPop flew through the skies of the Mushroom Kingdom en-route for Mushroom Castle, Princess Peach's home. He was tinkering with the Poltergust he had brought along as Mario watched some Chai Kingdom talk show.

"Oh, don't be like that," Mario chided. "You mean to tell me that you're okay with a mundane lifestyle? No beating up bad guys? No saving damsels-in-distress? No treasure or adventure?"

Luigi stopped fiddling with his vacuum-cleaner and looked his brother dead in the eye. "Yes," he answered, and resumed his work.

Mario rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Well, if it weren't for these adventures of ours, you would never have met Daisy, ya know?"

"Actually," Luigi said. "Daisy and I met at the NES Golf Open of '91. No crazy adventures, no bad guys, just a friendly few days of golf." He sighed, "How I wish our lives could be like that a lot more than they are..."

"What's got you so stressed out, bro?" Mario asked, concerned about this rather sudden shift in his brother's attitude towards their lifestyle. Sure, Luigi had moved out of their shared home, but he still tagged along whenever there was adventure to be had or a kingdom that needed saving, especially if Daisy was involved.

The green plumber wouldn't make eye contact, instead focusing even more intently on the exposed wiring of the Poltergust. After a long silence, Luigi said, "I'm just-" but, before he could explain, the doors leading to the cockpit opened and Pon entered the lounge.

"Gentlemen," he said with a bow. "We have arrived above Mushroom Castle. I would lower the ship to a more appropriate altitude, but the Grand Star that protects the castle prevents me from getting too close. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with these," Pon said as he revealed two large bird feathers from one of his shirt sleeves. "I'll lower the ship once the barrier provided by the Grand Star is disabled. Once Her Majesty is on board, we'll leave for Chai Kingdom at once."

Mario walked over to the Pionpi and took the two feathers in his gloved hands. "Cape Feathers," the plumber said with some amusement. "Haven't used one of these since we went vacationing in Dinosaur Land, remember, Weegee?"

Luigi, happy to not have to continue the previous conversation, left the Poltergust on the couch and went over to stand near his brother. He plucked one of the feathers from Mario's hand and turned it over in his own. "Good times," he mused. Luigi crushed the feather in his hand, causing a brief puff of smoke to envelope him before clearing out to reveal a golden cape that was now attached to the green plumber's shoulders. "Sure has been a while," he said with a grin.

Mario mimicked his brother, crushing the Cape Feather in his hand. The two plumbers, both with fluttering capes, walked over to the gangplank's opening which Pon had triggered while they were reminiscing. "Geronimo!" Mario called as he leaped out of the Sky Pop. The red-capped brother hooked his shoes into the billowing cape and stretched it with his arms, imitating a Waddlewing in flight to retard his descent.

Luigi followed suit and the two landed a few seconds later at the entrance to the palatial headquarters of their friend and the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Peach. The two brothers approached the wooden double-doors that served as the castle's entrance and entered without much hassle. The guards of the castle recognized Mario and Luigi almost better than their own princess, so no one paid much mind to them, besides exchanging a word of greeting as the two made their way through the castle to find Peach.

"Probably in the throne room dealing with petitioners," Mario thought aloud as they walked down a long hallway with windows on either side that reached up to the ceiling. The bros' footsteps were muted thanks to the plush, red carpet that ran the length of the hall and it was empty aside from the two of them.

The two reached the end of the hallway and opened the doors to find Princess Peach seated at her throne with Toadsworth, her grandfather and ward, speaking with her in a hushed voice. Upon spotting the Mario Brothers, Peach quickly rose to her feet to greet them. Toadsworth waddled along behind her, his cane clicking in the marble floor with every other step.

"Mario! Luigi!" Peach embraced each brother and smiled radiantly. "I wasn't expecting you both to show up. What's the occasion?"

"Well, I'm guessing you heard about what happened to Kinopio and the other Toads?" Mario asked. It killed him to have to be the bearer of bad news for Peach, but this wasn't something he could sugarcoat, even if he wanted to. "We're here because Pon, Daisy's personal retainer, came over from Chai to collect us. Apparently Daisy thinks it best that we all convene at her castle to discuss what's been going on."

Peach's smile quickly deteriorated into a set line. Her blue eyes gleamed with that familiar shine of responsibility. She nodded and said, "Toadsworth was just filling me in. I hadn't expected a personal escort there on such short notice, but I suppose it can't be helped." Peach turned to her grandfather and said, "Toadsworth, I'll be leaving with Mario and Luigi for Sarasaland. You're in-charge until I return."

Toadsworth looked like he might have a stroke. The elderly Toad swung his cane menacingly and shouted, "What?! Princess, you cannot be serious?! You expect me to let you leave the kingdom and fly off to some foreign nation on a whim?!" He looked pleadingly at Mario and Luigi. "Surely, you two won't let her do this?!"

Luigi shrugged his shoulders in apology. "Sorry, Toadsworth, we sort of came by specifically to do just that."

The mustachioed Toad was fuming at this point. "I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS! YES, IT IS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT WE SHOULD CARELESSLY ALLOW OUR NATION'S SOLE MONARCH TO LEAVE AND SEE TO THESE MATTERS PERSONALLY. THE MARIO BROTHERS CAN EASILY TAKE CARE OF THIS WITHOUT YOU HAVING TO GET INVOLVED, PRINCESS!" Toadsworth drew in a deep breath and nearly keeled over. "I...cannot...allow...this." He leaned heavily on his cane, the effort from shouting clearly shown on his face.

"Toadsworth, it isn't up for discussion," Peach said plainly. "I need to collect my things before we depart. Have you two any idea how long we'll be staying?"

Mario and Luigi exchanged clueless glances. Clearly, neither of them had thought far enough ahead to consider that they may be in Sarasaland long enough to need anything, like a toothbrush or a change of clothes. "No clue," Mario said finally. "Pon didn't really say."

Peach rolled her eyes. "Well, then I suppose three days' worth of luggage should suffice. This will only take a minute. If you could, look after Toadsworth while I pack." The blonde princess then turned and left Mario, Luigi and Toadsworth alone in the throne room as she went to her chambers to prepare for the trip.

Toadsworth glowered at the Mario Brothers. "You two had better go above and beyond to ensure the Princess remains safe," he said.

Mario nodded at the elderly Toad and said, "We'll be sure to return her to the Mushroom Kingdom safe and sound, Toadsworth."

"Just like every time before this one," Luigi added, a bit sarcastically.

Mario shot his brother a quelling look and elbowed him lightly to get Luigi to shut up.

The brothers waited in painfully awkward silence with Toadsworth for what seemed like eternity before Peach reappeared in the throne room with a pink suitcase in one hand and her trusty parasol in the other. Her strawberry blonde hair, which was usually left to cascade down the princess's back, was tied up in a ponytail, a sign that Peach was ready to travel. Her crown rested, ever perfectly, on her head. "So, shall we be going?" She asked happily.

"Yes, but we need you to lower the Grand Star Barrier so that Pon can lower the ChaiPop," Luigi answered.

Toadsworth waved his cane about as he waddled towards the back of the throne room. "I'll take care of it," he grumbled. Clearly, the elder Toad was not happy about his granddaughter's decision to tag along to Sarasaland, but he seemed to have swallowed the pill none the less.

Peach smiled apologetically at the Mario Brothers. "Let's be off, then!" The plumbers and the princess exited the chamber and proceeded to leave the castle as Toadsworth disabled the barrier that protected Mushroom Castle, allowing Pon to lower the Sky Pop so that the brothers and Princess Peach could board. The trio climbed the ladder up to the Sky Pop and shortly after the ship was flying off towards Sarasaland.

Toadsworth watched them leave from the castle's main tower, the location of the Grand Star and its control panel that maintains its barrier. The old Toad sniffed, a wistful look in his eye. "Be safe, my child," he prayed.

Little did Toadsworth, or anyone else, know that a suspicious figure had managed to slip into the castle unnoticed, the barrier's temporary disablement allowing an opportune plan to hatch.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Reunions in Chai

Princess Daisy paced back and forth in Sarasa Castle's war room, a large table with a map showing the entire world was behind her, as well as an empty fireplace and towering shelves lined with tomes and scrolls. A portrait hung above the fireplace depicted a scene of eight Stars gathering around a cloaked figure. "_The Granting";_ Daisy had remembered the name after her mother had told Daisy about its origins and its meaning.

"_The Eight Wishing Stars, the most precious treasures of Sarasaland. Our dynasty has protected them for the last 200 years. It is said that all eight were gathered only once before, and it nearly brought about the destruction of this dimension. We must never allow the Wishing Stars to fall into the wrong hands, Daisy. Not ever."_

Sitting at one of the empty chairs that encircled the table of the war room was Birdo, the curious egg-spitting creature that traveled to the Mushroom Kingdom from the dream realm of Subcon. She tapped a clawed finger on the wooden tabletop as she watched her friend with mild curiosity. "Why are you wearing down the rug like that?" She asked. Her voice was slightly deeper than one would expect a woman's to be, and no one could quite figure out how Birdo enunciated her words, what with her snout, but the message carried none the less.

Daisy stopped abruptly and quickly sat down at the table, if for no other reason than to prevent herself from pacing any more. "I just want them to get here already," she mumbled. By "them" she meant the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach. Daisy had called the three of them to Chai Kingdom to discuss the recent thefts that had been occurring throughout Sarasaland. "They should have been here an hour ago..."

"Well, if Peach is coming along then you already _know _why they're late," Birdo said coyly. Daisy knew her Subconian friend wasn't a big fan of Princess Peach, although she had never asked the pink dinosaur _why_. "I really _am _concerned as much as you are, honey," she said as she inspected her manicured claws. Birdo wore a diamond ring on her left ring finger and it glittered softly in the sunlight that streamed in through one of the windows in the chamber. "I just hope this can all be wrapped up nice and easy so Yoshi and I can get back to our vacation." Birdo and her fiance, Yoshi (Mario's best friend since his diaper days), were enjoying a nice vacation in Chai Kingdom when the news broke about the burglaries. The dino-duo quickly made their way to Sarasa Castle to meet with Princess Daisy, a good friend to both of them, in order to offer their services. Currently, Yoshi was off somewhere in the castle looking for food for everyone.

"I'm sorry to have dragged you both into this, Birdy," Daisy said sadly. "I just don't know what else to do...I had lived in the Mushroom Kingdom, away from the responsibilities of being a monarch, for so long that I've lost touch. I'm barely back three months and this happens...Eldstar, what would Mom say?" The ginger-haired princess dropped her head in her gloved hands and sighed.

"Oh, sugar," Birdo cooed as she rose from her seat to comfort Daisy. "You're doing the best you can. Yoshi, Mario, Luigi, me, and even that Princess of Toadstools are all going to help you work this whole thing out, alright?" She patted Daisy's shoulder gently.

"Thank you, Birdie," Daisy said, lifting her head to give her friend a smile.

From outside, a sudden gust of wind kicked up. Daisy and Birdo walked over to the window to see what could have caused it, only to spot the ChaiPop as it descended in the castle courtyard below.

"_Finally_," Birdo chirped. "We can get this show on the road. You go greet the guests, sugar, while I go find Yoshi. Knowing that glutton, he's probably eaten half of your stores of fresh fruit." With that, the pink dinosaur trotted out of the room, red bow bouncing softly on her head as she went.

Daisy took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself. Yes, she was anxious and worried about what was going on in her dominion, but she was also a bit nervous about seeing Luigi. Why did she always get like this whenever he was around? He's the one who was supposed to be skittish and shy all the time, not her. _Focus! _Now was not the time for matters of the heart. Daisy opened the door to the hallway outside the war room and hurried down towards the courtyard to greet her friends...and Luigi.

"Why, exactly, does this ship have such an issue landing and taking-off, Pon?" Mario asked as he, Luigi. Princess Peach, and the elder Pionpi exited the ChaiPop.

"Well, to be honest with you, Master Mario, I have no idea," Pon answered with a laugh. "The ship has done that since it was built. I had just assumed it was a part of the design."

Mario just blinked and chose to end the conversation there. Not that it would have gone much farther, as Princess Daisy came running down to greet them on the walkway a moment later.

"Guys, you made it!" She exclaimed, giving Peach and Mario a hug each before wrapping Luigi up in her arms. "I missed you," she breathed. Luigi hugged her back and for a moment the world seemed to stand still. That is, until Pon coughed noisily. "Uh, right," Daisy said hastily, removing herself from Luigi. "Pon, I'm glad to see things went smoothly. Let's all go inside and enjoy a light meal before getting down to business, shall we?"

"That sounds lovely," Peach said. Luigi and Mario simply grinned at the prospect of food.

"While you all dine, I'll be in the war room looking over the data we've collected thus far," Pon said before shuffling off.

Daisy frowned as she watched him go. "He's upset with me for not immediately dragging you guys there myself to talk about what's happened..."

Peach took Daisy's hands in hers and said, "You're allowed to take a break, Daisy, regardless of what your advisers might think, take it from me."

The orange princess smiled and gave Peach's hands a squeeze. "Thank you, Peach. Let's all grab a bite on the main balcony. I've arranged for a meal to be prepard. You guys must be starving!" With that, Daisy led the way into the castle, Luigi at her side, while Mario and Peach hung back to follow behind.

"They seem to be getting along quite well, all things considered," Peach whispered to Mario, observing Daisy and Luigi as they chatted about everything and nothing on their way to the balcony that overlooked the whole of Chai City.

Mario nodded in agreement. "I think this whole business has put Luigi off a bit. Maybe seeing her again is what he needs right now." The older brother smiled as Daisy laughed at some dumb joke Luigi had made.

"Has he been acting that strangely?" Peach inquired innocently. She was rubbing a golden band that was snug on her right ring finger, a nervous habit she had developed over the years. Though, why she was doing it now was beyond Mario's realm of understanding.

"No more than usual," Mario answered. "Except for today. He seemed...tired."

"Like he hadn't been getting enough sleep?"

"Not exactly," Mario said with a shake of his head. "Like he was just...done, with everything." Thinking back on it brought a frown to Mario's face.

"Well, then it's a good thing we brought him along, huh?" Peach mused. She looked down at Mario and smiled as she said, "For the record, I'm glad you brought _me _along, as well."

Mario quickly looked up at the princess and felt his cheeks flush. "Um-of-of course...no problem," he said, suddenly interested in his shoes as he walked.

Peach merely giggled and walked in silence with the portly plumber as their group arrived at the large balcony that could be seen from the entrance to the castle. It was intended to be used for meetings with the public, but Daisy frowned upon such practice and instead used it whenever she wanted to get some fresh air and take in the view of the city.

The four of them arrived to a dazzling array of finger foods and light snacks, including cakes, cooked Super Mushrooms, fruits, sandwiches and even noodles. Also waiting for them were Yoshi and Birdo, who were both seated at beside each other at the large table that had been prepared for them all.

"It's about _time _the three of you got here," Birdo said with a drawl as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. "Daisy and I were beginning to wonder if you all had been captured by Bowser, or something."

"That isn't true," Princess Daisy said quickly, dismissively waving a hand in Birdo's direction. "We were worried, though. But, enough about that for now. Let's eat, shall we?"

"Yes, please!" Yoshi chirped happily, using his dexterous tongue to scoop up a cluster of red grapes, a slice of watermelon and two apples. With a strong gulp, the fruit disappeared visibly down the dinosaur's throat, much to the others' discomfort, Birdo aside.

"How have you been, Yoshi?" Mario asked as he pulled out a seat for Princess Peach before seating himself. "I haven't heard from you since you decided to go on this vacation."

"Yes, and how have you been, Birdo?" Luigi added, pulling out Daisy's seat and then taking a seat himself.

"Well, we've been to Rogueport, the Birabuta Kingdom, the Muda Kingdom, and we were actually going to visit Easton before all of this mess happened," Yoshi answered. The green dinosaur was eying a ripe banana hungrily as he spoke. Mario couldn't help but chuckle.

"We were wrapping up our time here in Chai when Daisy told us what had happened to Toadette's brother, the poor thing. I hope he's okay," Birdo stated. She was sipping a cup of tea and staring at Peach from under heavily shadowed lids.

"Speaking of Kinopio," Peach said, looking at Daisy. "How is he doing?"

"I got in touch with him as soon as I heard the news," the Sarasian Princess answered. "Kinopio says his crew is fine, but that they regret allowing the theft to occur. They've left Easton and are headed here to meet with us. I also have Princesses Plum and Eclair coming from the Fruit and Waffle Kingdoms, since we're on the subject."

"Plum and Eclair?" Peach repeated with some concern. "Daisy, don't you think it's a bit foolhardy to have four of the world's monarchs gathered in one place? Are they really necessary?"

Princess Daisy nodded sagely, "Incredibly." She took a sip of tea and sighed. "The theft of the Wishing Stars is a matter that could very well end our entire existence. We need as much help as we can get in making sure that the rest of the Stars do not fall into the wrong hands."

"I don't see how that explains inviting two other princesses here," Mario said flatly. "I'm sorry, Daisy, but this is just asking for trouble."

The ginger-haired princess merely shook her head. "No, no, they won't be staying here long enough for it to be of any concern. I simply need them here to safely give each of them a Wishing Star to take back to their respective kingdoms. I figure that if we can separate the Stars, then we can minimize the chances of them being stolen within a short period and buy ourselves some time to track down whoever started stealing them in the first place," she explained, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. Daisy knew the others weren't confident in her plans. Peach and Luigi were always the ones to come up with a strategy and Daisy was just supposed to sit back and go along with them. But, not this time. This was her kingdom, her responsibility; she had to protect her people.

Peach simply pursed her lips and focused on her tea and the strawberry shortcake she'd picked out from among the various pastries.

Luigi put a gentle hand over Daisy's and said, "It's not that we don't trust you, Daisy, but we're just worried. There isn't a lot of information on who's behind this and it would be terrible if something were to happen, is all." Mario and Peach nodded in agreement. Birdo was filing her claws with a nail file she retrieved from who-knows-where and Yoshi had all of his attention dedicated to a tasty-looking mango.

Daisy merely huffed and rose from the table. "You always were good at sugar-coating things, Luigi," she said pointedly before leaving the balcony.

Birdo's eyes flicked up from her nails. Wordlessly, she too made an exit to follow the princess.

Yoshi, Mario, Luigi and Peach all exchanged worried looks. "I'm sorry, but someone had to tell her that it wasn't a good plan," Mario said with a shrug. Peach shot him a withering look and the red plumber meekly returned his attention to the baked Super Shroom before him.

"I'll go make sure she's okay," Luigi volunteered as he stood.

Yoshi, however, shook his head at the suggestion. "I'd leave it alone if I were you. According to my Birdetta, she's still a bit raw after the whole-" Yoshi waved a green hand about ambiguously-"thing."

Luigi frowned and slumped back into his chair. "Oh," he muttered miserably.

Princess Peach sighed audibly and stood to go find her friend. "This is ridiculous. We have a crisis we need to quash and you two are going to make it impossible to do anything. I'm going to find Daisy and Birdo, you three find Pon and see about getting in contact with Plum and Eclair, as well as Kinopio." Her orders were crisp and killed the possibility of objection. The blonde princess stalked off into the castle.

Mario sighed, "Princesses."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the scorching deserts of the Birabuta Kingdom, a devious caper was unfolding. In the shadows of one of the largest pyramids in the kingdom's expansive desert, a small team of Bandits were hard at work breaking their way into the massive structure. Pickaxes could be heard clanging against sandstone as the robed thieves toiled. Their mask-faces expressed pain and fatigue.

"Keep working, you mooks!" The command came from above the Bandits. Standing with his arms folded before him and tapping his foot impatiently, Popple barked orders at his lackeys from a crumbled portion of the pyramid. "According to Croco, there's another of them Wishing Stars buried in ol' Pharaoh Maahes' Tomb!"

One of the Bandits, his pink robes rippling in the desert air and mask contorted into a face of anger, barked back, "If this is so darn important, _you _come down here and dig!" The grunt threw down his pickaxe in rebellion and glared at Popple!

The Beanbean master thief sneered. "You want me to help?" He asked.

The Pink Bandit nodded, seemingly oblivious to Popple's malicious grin. "Yeah, I do!" The lackey said with conviction. The two Bandits standing to either side of their friend, one in blue and the other in red, shuffled away unnoticed.

"Okay, yeah, I'll 'help'," Popple said as he reached behind his back. "I'LL HELP BY CUTTING MY LOSSES, AND BLOWING YOUR USELESS BEHIND TO SMITHEREENS!" Popple pulled a lit Bob-Omb from out of thin-air and launched it directly at the rebel Bandit!

The spherical explosive stared at its victim with soulless, opaque eyes as it careened into the Bandit's mask! On contact, the Bob-Omb exploded, sending the Pink Bandit airborne and away from the pyramid about fifty feet, and also creating an entrance in the side of the pyramid! Bits of mortar floated through the air as the dust settled and the other two lackeys looked on in abject horror.

"Oops, maybe I helped _too _much?" Popple asked mockingly. He flashed a wolfish grin at the Blue and Red Bandits and said, "I suggest you two get inside and start scoping out the area. I want in and out of this place before sundown, capiche?"

"Yes, Mr. Popple, sir!" The two terrified underlings chimed in union. They dashed into the Tomb of Maahes, pickaxes swinging in their hands, at lightning-speed!

Popple chuckled and jumped down to admire his handiwork up close. The plan was to make a carefully dug entry into the pyramid that they could cover up later, but that Bob-Omb nearly blew out the entire wall. Popple hated to leave behind sloppy work. After his flub-up in Easton two days prior, the master thief was determined to be as discreet as possible...but, it looked like that was going to have to wait until the next mission. With a glance over to where the knocked-out and slightly charred form of the Pink Bandit was, Popple tucked his hands into his pockets and whistled as he casually entered the Tomb of Pharaoh Maahes.

_-Super Mario Bros. 3 Theme plays-_

"Huh?" Popple stopped whistling and reached into his back pocket to pull out a small rectangular device that was the source of the tune. Tapping the screen, which took up the entire front side, the Beanbean placed the object close to his ear and said, "Popple speaking."

Through the device, another voice could be heard. This one held a very southern twang and sounded slightly...reptilian. "Popple! I got some new information for ya!"

Popple sighed as he continued to walk into the pyramid, passing large stone columns set with lit sconces. Funny, wonder who'd been here recently. "What is it, Croco?" He grumbled. Popple didn't exactly enjoy working with the purple crocodile, but he did know how to get quality information, and the pay was simply too good to pass on.

"Son, I got some primo intel on another Wishing Star, I GAR-ON-TEE!"

Popple groaned inwardly and said, "That's great, Croco. So, where is it?"

"Well, see, I may or may not have forgotten that," Croco said with a chuckle.

The Beanbean grounded his teeth before responding. "And what, pray tell, is going to jog that lizard-brain 'o' yours, bayou-breath?"

"Tsk, tsk, Popple," Croco chided. "No need to be all hostile with ol' Croco. I may be able to jog my memory a bit if you agree to, say, a modest 70/30 split on this job's pay-out?"

The master thief nearly chucked the communications device down the long hall of the Pharaoh's tomb. "A 70/30 split?!" He barked, causing a flock of Swoopers drop from their perches along the ceiling and fly off in the direction of Popple's make-shift entrance. "Listen here, you insufferable swamp lizard. I only teamed up with you because the Boss suggested it. As is, splitting the money 50/50 is enough to make me wanna hurl an Atomic Bob-Omb into that massive trap 'o' yours! Now tell me where that Wishing Star is before I make _my _wish come true!"

The other end of the device was silent for a long moment. Popple was beginning to think he'd finally scared that darned crocodile into submission. That is, until a raucous laughter came through. "EH-HE-HE, ooooooo boy, Popple, you sure know how to make a scene," Croco said. "Listen, I'll have that information forwarded to your S.M.I. as soon as you finish up in that there desert, ey? We can discuss the matters of our monetary arrangement later."

Popple had to take a few deep breaths before speaking into the S.M.I. "You'd better not be yanking my Chain Chomp, you hear me, Croco?"

"_Me? _Oh, Popple, you offend me," Croco responded, feigning sadness.

"Whatever." Popple quickly hung up the S.M.I (Super Mobile Intercommunicator) and replaced it in his pocket as he caught up with the Bandits. The two were staring dumbfounded at a wall that blocked their path. Popple glowered at the two flunkies from behind and shifted his attention to the wall. It was covered in hieroglyphs that all seemed to be centered around a star-shaped marking in the center of the wall. "What's it say?" Popple asked grumpily.

Hearing their boss snapped the two Bandits out of their revelry. The Red Bandit stammered out a reply. "We-uh-we don't know, Mr. Popple. Looks like instructions to me."

The Grey Bandit nodded, "Yeah! It looks like a guide to getting to the Wishing Star!"

Popple grumbled as he tried to make sense of the strange pictures carved into the stone. All the markings radiated out from the star symbol in the center. But, other than that, he couldn't make heads nor tails of the ancient script. The thief shrugged and said, "Blow it up. We a'int got time to figure out puzzles, see?"

The two Bandits were reluctant to oblige. The Red Bandit twiddled his thumbs as he said, "That could cause us to be sealed in, or worse, the entire place could crumble on top of us..."

Popple waved a gloved hand, as if to dismiss the statement. "It's either that, or we lose our heads at the Boss's mercy. I'd rather take my chances with this here wall, and you should too, if you know what's good for ya."

The two Bandits exchanged nervous glances and reluctantly set up a Bob-Omb before the wall.

"Here goes..." said the Grey as he struck a match and lit the fuse. The two flunkies and Popple retreated for cover some feet away behind a pillar that helped support the hallway.

The Bob-Omb's fuse reached its end and the last thing the three thieves could remember seeing was a brilliant flash, followed by a blur of blue.

Back at Sarasa Castle, Peach was attempting to reason with Daisy as Birdo filed her nails, seemingly oblivious to the argument going on.

"It's _always _the same with you, Peach," Daisy was saying. "Every time I come up with a plan, an idea, a _suggestion,_ you strike it down! Why?" The red-headed princess crossed her arms and glared at her fair-skinned friend.

Birdo glanced up and laughed inwardly. There had been a time where she, and several others, thought the Princesses of the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland had looked almost identical. But, now, she could see the differences clearly: Aside from their preferences in color, Peach was half a foot taller than Daisy and had long, strawberry blonde hair that normally flowed down to her waist, as well as skin far lighter than the Sarasian girl's. Daisy was olive-skinned and had short, ginger hair that was complimented by her turquoise accessories. Their eyes and faces were different, also; Peach's face being more pointed and planar, and her eyes a cool, sapphire. Daisy's face was rounder and her nose turned up slightly, her eyes a shade of sea-green. How had any of them ever confused the two, Birdo thought.

"Daisy, it isn't like that!" Peach said, exasperated. "_We just don't want anyone getting kidnapped, or worse, okay? _Are you really going to pick _now _to be stubborn?"

Daisy turned her head and stared intently at her reflection in the mirror of her vanity. After Luigi had attempted to let her down gently, for the second time, Daisy had stormed off to her bedroom. Birdo had come along for support and for that, the princess was thankful. Looking at herself now, though, Daisy could see the doubt in her own eyes about this whole ordeal. She didn't want to admit that she may be wrong. It was _her _responsibility to keep the Wishing Stars safe, however, and that meant looking past the possible consequences. "I've made up my mind, Peach," she said after a moment. Daisy refused to make eye-contact with her friend as she explained, "I have a duty to my people, as well as the rest of the world's peoples by keeping these Stars safe. Yes, there is a risk with having Eclair and Plum come to the kingdom, but it is just as risky having you here." Daisy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then turned and looked directly at Peach, a fire burning in her gaze. "Either you stick around to help me, or I'll solve this problem on my own."

"Forgetting about me, already?" Birdo asked casually from her seat in the corner of the room. Daisy gave a look that said, "I'm trying to be serious here," so the pink dinosaur shrugged and returned her attention to her claws.

Peach sighed and slumped her shoulders, a sign she had resigned from further arguing. "Fine. If you're going to go through with this, then I'll be here to help however I can. And, I'm sure, Mario and Luigi will stick around, too."

Daisy beamed and abruptly pulled her fellow monarch into a hug. "Thank you, Peach," she said.

Peach returned the hug, smiling. "Of course, silly. How could I let one of my very best friends take on something like this alone?"

From Birdo's corner, the two princesses heard the obnoxious sound of the pink dinosaur inhale air through her snout. "If you two are done with the sappy moment, I believe we have some princesses and Toads arriving soon. Shouldn't we be getting ready?" She rose from the seat and walker over to the door of Princess Daisy's room. "I'll be waiting in the War Room." Birdo left with an icy glare at Peach as she stepped out of the room.

The blonde princess shot her friend a look, to which Daisy shrugged meekly. "Birdie's very...protective, of me," Daisy said sheepishly. Peach arched an eyebrow. "Well-you see," Daisy was stammering as she scrambled to come up with a nice way to say, "I vent about you to her and she sort of thinks you're bad for my self-esteem." Unfortunately, no such combination of words existed and the red-head said it in rapid-fire.

"_BAD FOR YOUR SELF-ESTEEM?" _Apparently, Daisy hadn't rattled out her explanation fast enough. Peach's face twisted in anger and Daisy could swear she saw twin flames in her friend's eyes. "I'M GOING TO GIVE THAT HONKING-DINO SUCH A TALKING TOO!"

Typical, Daisy thought. "Calm down, Peach," she said chidingly. "You know she's Yoshi's fiance, you can't just go yelling at her. She'd probably spit eggs at you, now that I think about it..."

The pink princess huffed and folded her arms defiantly. "Well, you had better say something to her when the opportunity presents itself. I don't trust myself to say two words to that hot-pink troglodyte."

Daisy shook her head as she left the room. "That is so wrong, Peach."

"_WELL SHE STARTED IT!" _Peach screamed as she followed behind.

Mario, Luigi, Pon, Yoshi, and Birdo were all gathered in Sarasa Castle's War Room as they discussed the plan to safely and covertly sneak the Wishing Stars out of Sarasaland and scatter them across the neighboring kingdoms. Mario was directly beside Pon, listening intently as the little blue man pointed to various land formations drawn onto the table that acted as the focal point of the room. Luigi was seated beside his brother, head propped against one hand as he tried to appear interested. Yoshi and Birdo was seated across from the three humanoids and were also listening to Pon.

"We'll have to scatter the remaining Wishing Stars as quickly and quietly as possible," the Pionpi reiterated. "There are a total of eight Wishing Stars, but as of now we are only aware of seven that remain in their respective areas across the land." Pon indicated the center of Sarasaland with his blue finger and said, "This, is Chai Kingdom, central command to the entirety of Sarasaland and the resting place of two of the seven stars. One lies dormant at the peak of Mt. Suta to the north of the city. The other is rumored to be located beneath this very city in a labyrinth created centuries ago. The other five are located in Pharaoh Maahes' Tomb in the desert of Birabuta, the sunken palace of Ningyo beneath Lake Muda in the Muda Kingdom, somewhere deep within the Diamond Dust Chasm of the Frapple Snowlands to the north, the heart of the Hiryu Volcano in Easton, and the ruins of the Temple of Stars."

"Those all seem to be _awfully _out-of-the-way, wouldn't you say?" Birdo asked. "I mean, sure some thieves got lucky and filched the Star at Tekmuhet's Ruins, but who's to say it'll happen again?"

"Who's to say it won't?" Luigi countered. "There have already been a number of attempted thefts in places the Stars have been _thought _to be kept. It's only a matter of time until the real locations are discovered."

"Then shouldn't we get others involved?" Yoshi asked innocently. "I mean, with seven stars, shouldn't we spread them across say, seven kingdoms? Peach, Eclair, and Plum cover three...who else is there?"

"Prince Dreambert, for starters," came a voice from the door. In entered Daisy followed by Peach. The olive-skinned princess continued, "There's also Queen Bean of the Beanbean Kingdom, King and Queen Nimbus of Nimbus Land, and Rosalina may even be able to help if we can reach her."

"So we're going to have all the world's allied royals in one spot?" Luigi asked pensively as he looked at Daisy.

"No," Daisy said flatly, an annoyed expression on her face as she answered the green plumber. "We have Plum and Eclair flying in because their kingdoms border Sarasaland and are the most easily reached. Once they each have a Wishing Star, they'll be sent back to their kingdoms. Then, we'll find the rest and have them sent out to Dreambert, Queen Bean, Nimbus and Rosalina. One Star will remain here in Chai and once we have the other back, we'll send it off with you to the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach."

Princess Peach nodded. "Right. we have our work cut out for us." She clapped her hands together and said, with a smile, "I think it'd be best if Mario, Luigi and Yoshi head off to the nearest Wishing Star and retrieve it while Daisy, Birdo, Pon, and I wait here for Princesses Eclair and Plum, and Kinopio and the Toad Brigade."

"What, and let the boys have all the fun?" Birdo added with a quirk of her brow.

"No, no, I agree with Peach," Daisy quickly interjected. "The Mario Brothers and Yoshi have been on more adventures than the rest of us. Exploring dungeons and finding artifacts would be a lot easier, and I'll bet a lot more timely, if we didn't slow them down."

"If that's what you guys think is best," Luigi mumbled. "So are we heading out now?" The taller of the plumbers glanced out the window before adding, "The sun's hanging pretty low in the sky."

"In order to ensure the safety of the Wishing Stars, it would be prudent for you three to leave immediately," Pon said sagely. "Luckily, I have already prepared travel sacks for the three of you. You'll find they contain all you'll need for your journey."

"How did you-?" Yoshi began, before being cut off by Pon.

"-the princess had already planned on sending you and the Marios off to collect the stars prior to Peach's mentioning," the Sarasian Vizier said. "The knapsacks are located in the entrance hall of the palace. There is already a Warp Pipe set up in the courtyard that will drop you off near the closest Wishing Star; specifically, the one that rests in the Tomb of the Pharaoh King Maahes in the desert of Birabuta."

Mario, Luigi and Yoshi exchanged a look of anxiousness and excitement. It had been quite some time since the three of them had been on an adventure together. "We'll be leaving now then," Mario said. "Don't worry too much, we'll be fine," he added with a grin at Peach.

"I'm sure we have nothing to fret over," she said sweetly. "You boys take care not, okay?"

"You got it!" Yoshi exclaimed. "See you in a few shakes of a Yoshi's tail, Birdetta!" The green dinosaur gave Birdo a kiss before rising to join his friends near the door.

"Um, yeah, so I guess I'll-you know," Luigi muttered as he stood closest to the door, one hand on the knob and the other pensively rubbing the back of his neck. "See ya," he finally said beore bolting out the door.

Daisy watched him go and frowned. "Idiot," was all she had to say.

Mario shrugged and followed his brother and Yoshi, in turn, followed Mario. The trio made their way towards the palace's grand hallway and there found three bags, just as Pon has said. One was red with a large white "M" emblazoned on it. The other, green with a large "L", similar to the other. The third was actually an orange and green saddlebag with a copy of Yoshi's insignia, a Yoshi Egg, on it.

Luigi was the first to retrieve his and look inside. "Hammerspace Bags!" He proclaimed happily. "These things are like, infinite! Let's see..." Luigi fished around in the bag and pulled out a large hammer with a three-foot, polished wooden handle. "Ooo, hefty!" He effortlessly hoisted the hammer over his shoulder and said, "It feels like it was custom-made!"

Mario eagerly reached into his own bag and pulled out three freshly-plucked Fire Flowers. They warmed up his hands and would probably have burned right through his gloves were they not fire-proof. "Sweet, power-ups!" He exclaimed happily, replacing the flowers and pulling out two Blue Shells, a Boomerang Flower, three Super Mushrooms and, finally, a hammer of his own. "Feels right!" The red plumber took a practice swing with the hammer and smiled, "I can't remember the last time I used a hammer, but it sure feels good to have one again!"

Yoshi searched his saddlebag and pulled out two Dash Peppers and a Melon. "Food!" The green dinosaur jumped up and down happily. "Daisy and Pon are the best!"

"I guess we should be going then?" Luigi suggested, replacing his hammer in the knapsack and shouldering it. "We need to find that Wishing Star as soon as possible!"

Mario and Yoshi nodded, both replacing the items in their own bags. "Let's-a-go!" Mario exclaimed as the three companions opened the front doors to the palace and hopped into the gleaming Warp Pipe that waited for them outside.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

A Minister's Lament

Toadsworth scanned the latest in the long list of the castle's mail for the day. Another petition, this one for...what was this, a _casino? _Doesn't Toad Town already _have _one of those? The old Toad sighed, exasperated, and retreated from his desk. He glanced out the window and a thought struck him. _Princess Peach is somewhere across that sky...my dearest granddaughter. _Toadsworth took a moment to appreciate the clear, blue skies and the sunlight from the window of his study. Below, on the castle grounds, various Toads were milling about doing the day's work. The groundskeepers were trimming the hedges, the guards were just now exchanging shifts for the afternoon, and—was that Toadette?

Toadsworth focused on what he believed to be Kinopio's sister running haphazardly towards the castle gates. Toadette's magenta-colored pigtails flapped about as she ran on her stubby legs to the guards at the gate and began yelling and waving her arms in every which way. She finally ceased and the guards quickly retreated to their towers to raise the gate. Toadsworth watched as the pink Toad made her way to the front doors and pushed her way inside. A moment later, he could hear her high-pitched voice from the study...a good two stories above.

"..._WORTH! TOADSWORTH WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!"_

The old Toad was quick to open the door to the room, but not quick enough. As he reached for the knob, the large wooden door flew open and he was sent flying into his desk. Toadsworth groaned audibly as he sluggishly raised his head to see Toadette panting and wild-eyed in the open doorway.

"Toad...ette," He said as he rose to his feet. With a deep breath and a patting of his vest, the elder Toad gathered himself. "_WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ALL OF THIS HALABALOO?!"_

_ "_IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" Toadette repeated, shriek and all. "There's been a sighting of Terrapins near Toad Town's southern border! They're coming enmasse and they're being followed by squads of airborne Magikoopas, Paratroopatrol, and ground squads of Goombas and Bob-Ombs!"

_"WHAT?!" _Toadsworth looked at Toadette, aghast. A full-on assault? So soon after the Mario Brothers departure with the Princess?! "Have someone send a message to Sarasa Castle immediately! We need the Mario Brothers back as soon as possible and Her Majesty in a secure location!"

"Right!" Toadette saluted Toadsworth and made for the front door. She stopped momentarily, however, to ask, "What will you be doing Toadsworth?"

The elder Toad grabbed his cane that was propped against his desk and waddled out the door. "I'm going to activate the Grand Star, of course."

To the south of the castle, past Toad Town's southern gate, a roiling mass of Koopa, Goomba, and Chomp soldiers were marching on. At their head, two Magikoopas rode through the skies. One wore dark blue robes and had a scraggly beard; his eyes hidden behind bottle lens glasses that were cracked and smudged. How the wizened Kamek could ride through the skies on broomstick so well was beyond anyone's comprehension. The other Magikoopa was slightly younger, though not by much, and wore robes of violet and pink. She, too, wore glasses, although hers made it appear as if she wore a permanent scowl, and she did. Kammy, as the Magikoopa was called, would have been a much less fearsome-looking witch, were it not for her snaggle-tooth.

The two advisers to his Lordship, King Bowser Koopa, rode swiftly through the crisp summer air that the kingdom was known for, a storm literally brewing at their backs, blotting out the Sun. Kamek chuckled to himself and said aloud, "You know, Kamilla, I had never truly believed His Nastiness would attempt such a bold assault as this, especially with no princess for the taking."

The old witch glared at her companion and shot back, "It's _Kammy,_ you old lout! I'd be careful saying something like that aloud. You never know who could be listening in." She glanced over her right shoulder and _-tsk-'d_ at the sight of Wendy O. Koopa, the only daughter of Bowser's brood, flying along some distance behind them in a smaller, pink version of His Grouchiness's Koopa Clown Car. "Brats," she spat.

Kamek cracked a crooked grin and laughed. "You really need to learn to control your temper. Telling _me _about being careful, hah! I've been doing this since before you could cast a simple hex, girl."

"Hah! You're only two decades my senior," Kammy retorted. "And, besides-"

"_WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?" _

The bellow came from the Magikoopas' left flank. Bobbing up into view, in a Clown Car of his own, was Morton Koopa Jr. The large, brown Koopaling glowered at the two Magikoopas and said, "Bowser wants all Magikoopa forces ready to warp in and prepare for the assault, so _GET MOVING!" _The behemoth Koopa then turned away from the spellcasters and flew off towards a group of marching Terra Cottas.

"Loud, uncouth, slobbering oaf," Kammy muttered darkly.

"I _told _His Majesty not to mix science and black magic, and here we are," Kamek mused. With a sigh, he added, "Well, no use crying over failed lab experiments. Come, Kamilla, we have business to attend to." He then flew off ahead, Kammy following behind with a grumble about how Bowser should be banned from using black magic.

Toadsworth ascended to Mushroom Castle's tallest tower, all the while wondering _why _they had chosen such a cumbersome spot to get to. Finally, the old Toad reached the castle's highest chamber. With a swift triple-tap at the door's north-east, south-west, and center, the wooden door flew open, allowing Toadsworth to enter.

The room was circular and rose to a point some several feet above. The floor was covered in black and white checkered tiles and large windows provided an almost panoramic view of the castle grounds and Toad Town beyond it. From here, the royal minister saw the army of King Bowser marching towards the town. He quickly turned his attention to the only thing of significant interest in the room: a large Star that floated within a golden sphere that was attached to a complicated piece of machinery that anchored the Grand Star and also connected to the ceiling. It was an invention of Professor Elvin Gadd, the prize-winning scientist and Boo Expert that was also a resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. Gadd had designed what he called the "Grand Star Defense Bubble" some six months back in an effort to minimize any attacks from Bowser's forces on Toad Town. To date, the device had worked wonders, providing a semipermeable force field that prevents Bowser's flunkies from invading, while still allowing citizens to come and go as they please.

The old Toad waddled over to the G.S.D.B's control console and tapped the star-shaped button labeled "ON"...but the machine wouldn't start. Toadsworth quirked an eyebrow and pressed the button again...and again...and again, and still, nothing.

"Well, what exactly is going _on _here," he muttered with concern. The adviser twisted one end of his white mustache as he inspected the castle and town's defense mechanism.

"Having some trouble there, Gramps?"

The question came from out of no where, causing Toadsworth to jump. "Who's there?" He demanded, although he had some semblance of an idea.

From behind the G.S.D.B. stepped out a Toad with a wicked sneer on his face. The Mushroom person chuckled at Toadsworth's bewilderment and twirled a long, paintbrush-like staff in his hands. Something about that staff was so _familiar._ Toadsworth furrowed his brow as the Toad's true identity surfaced in the elder's mind. "Bowser Jr.," he said with a mixture of contempt and awe.

"Good to know the old thinker hasn't quit on you yet, Gramps," the faux Toad answered. He stopped fiddling with the paintbrush and pressed an insignia right below the bristles of the brush. Toadsworth could barely make it out, but it appeared to be a yellow-green minimalistic design of...Iggy Koopa? The Koopa Prince's form shifted and twisted, becoming that of his usual self: an oversized Koopa that looked strikingly similar to Bowser at a young age.

"One of the Koopalings made you that paintbrush, didn't they?" Toadsworth asked, feigning an air of togetherness. Inside, the old Toad's mind was racing. What _exactly _was going on here? Had Junior somehow disabled the G.S.D.B.? Toadsworth had to buy for time.

Bowser Jr. nodded and extended the paintbrush out for Toadsworth to see. "Isn't it impressive? Just like that kooky professor's, only better. Iggy took the original design and enhanced it so I could disguise myself as anyone." To prove his point, Junior pressed the insignia again and his form shifted to mimic Toadsworth's. "It was cake breaking into the castle." He used the paintbrush's power again and reverted to his actual form.

"You broke in? When?" Toadsworth asked, trying to wheedle as much information as possible out of Bowser's bratling as possible. He held his cane tightly. If Junior would have let his guard down for even a breath, Toadsworth might have had a chance to catch him off guard.

Junior, however, seemed to be a step ahead. With one swift movement, the Koopa swung his staff and knocked Toadsworth's cane right out of his grasp, sending it clattering across the room. "Did you _really _think that even if I _wasn't _paying attention that I wouldn't have been able to deflect whatever stupid attack you tried to pull? Sheesh, Gramps, you're not as smart as I thought." He sneered, displaying his pearly-white, razor-sharp teeth. "To answer your question, I snuck in when you lowered the Grand Star's barrier for that Pionpi to land his airship."

"But, how could you have known that Pon was here?"

"Easy, the Koopa Troop has been tapping into the Mushroom Kingdom's radios for years now. How do you think we're always ready to launch an assault? We heard a weird frequency that originated from Sarasaland and homed in on it. Turns out, it was a broadcast from Chai Kingdom being watched in that airship that Mario was on. Dad sent me over as soon as possible when we discovered that the ship would be landing at Mushroom Castle." The Koopa Prince seemed especially proud as he said, "When the barrier fell, I dashed into Toad Town in disguise and made my way here. Then, it was simply a matter of disabling the town's shield."

"Disabling-you mean it was _you _who tampered with the Grand Star?!" Toadsworth asked, astonished. It all made sense as he repeated the information in his head, but it startled him none the less. To think that the castle could be so easily infiltrated and its defenses so effortlessly dealt with...

"Of course, who else?" Junior answered. "Now, with the Mario Brothers gone, and no Momma Peach to distract Pops, the Koopa Troop can finally take over this stinking kingdom once and for all!"

"That's your plan? You don't think that Mario and Luigi will come back to defeat you and your father?"

"Hah! They can try, but Pops has a few new tricks up his sleeve," Junior retorted. He then pulled a small remote as if out of thin air and grinned wolfishly at Toadsworth. "Like this," he said, slamming his thumb on the button!

The Grand Star suddenly pulsed. Toadsworth gasped and watched in abject horror as the Grand Star, the castle and Toad Town's only solid defense against invasion, was tainted by an oily blackness. The entire Star dimmed from its warm, golden hue to an inky black that shone darkly.

"What have you done to the Grand Star?!" Toadsworth asked desperately. What was going on? How could he _stop _this?! Bowser Junior had somehow managed to corrupt the G.S.D.B. and King Bowser's army was at the foot of Toad Town's door, with the Mario Brothers no where near to defend the citizens!

Junior laughed at the panicked expression on the old Toad adviser's face. "I've reversed its alignment. I said we had new tricks. Now the Grand Star-I mean, _Ztar_, will keep all of Toad Town's people within the Defense Bubble's boundaries." He jabbed a claw towards the window behind him, "Take a look."

From the tower, Toadsworth could see a dark aura slowly expanding down and out across the castle and Toad Town. He could barely make out the citizens in a state of panic. Merlon had emerged from his home with the spinning roof and seemed to have been casting a spell before being blasted to the ground by a Magikoopa on its broomstick. The Mushroom Minister could only look on as the skies were blotted out by dark storm clouds and flying masses of Magikoopas, Paragoombas, Paratroopatrol, and various other airborne baddies enlisted in the Koopa Troop. The fields just beyond the town walls were soon filled with the writhing companies of Terrapins, Hammer Bros., Chain Chomps, Bob-Ombs, Shy Guys, and Goombas. They soon burst through the gates and poured into the streets. Innocent civilians fled into the nearest buildings, but some were swept into the assault. The aerial soldiers were casting spells and wreaking havoc from above, turning citizens into Items and damaging homes and businesses. The footmen seemed to be more organized and were dividing off as they infiltrated the Mushroom Capitol. The Goombas and Chomps appeared to be the scare force, herding citizens towards designated locations overlooked by the Terrapins and Terra Cottas. Hammer, Fire, and Boomerang Bros. were destroying and breaking into various homes and shops using Bob-Ombs and their own weaponry. The Shy Guys just seemed to be causing general chaos.

Numbly, Toadsworth turned his attention back to Junior and said, with a quake in his voice that rang of desperation, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because," Junior said as he crossed his arms and smirked. "This kingdom used to be the Land of the Koopa, before you darn Toads and Humans invaded. Now, we're finally gonna reclaim what is rightfully ours!"

"Reclaim your-why you must be mad!" Toadsworth shouted. A ludicrous claim!

"I said what I said because it's the truth," Junior answered simply, twirling his staff once more. "To reclaim the Koopa's birthright."

And then, Toadsworth's vision went dark.

_This is going to be tough._

Parakarry, the Toad Town Postal Service's fastest and most-famous mailman, grimaced as he flew directly towards a trio of Magikoopas. Just minutes before, he had been preparing to do his mid-afternoon rounds when Toadette bustled into the post office with a message of _absolute _importance that needed to be delivered to Mario in Chai City by _yesterday. _Parakarry, of course, could not pass up delivering such a letter to his pal Mario and was happy to do so...that is, until he saw the descending barrier of darkness and the swarms of Koopa Troop soldiers. The Paratroopa reluctantly fastened in airman's cap and goggles, tucked the message safely into his shell, and took off into the skies.

Luckily, him being a Paratroopa offered Parakarry some protection as the enemy forces mistook him for one of their own. Occasionally, a Lakitu or Magikoopa would recognize him and launch an attack, but a well-aimed Shell Shot handled that quickly enough. He simply had to make it past the town's wall before that barrier touched down. Something told him if he was too late, Parakarry would be trapped here.

"Just...a little...farther..." Parakarry grumbled to himself as he pushed his way through a cluster of Paragoombas. This was insanity; where had all of Bowser's forces come from?

"_STOP THAT PARATROOPA YOU LOUTS! HE'S NOT AN ALLY!"_

The shrill voice of a female Koopa with a pink, polka-dotted bow cut through the air and suddenly Parakarry found himself being tailed by several enemies. The Koopa that blew his cover appeared before him in a contraption akin to Bowser's Koopa Clown Car. She was larger than Parakarry in general size and her lips were colored with bright pink lipstick.

"And just _who _are you, Mr. Mail-Man?" She asked in a condescending tone. Parakarry was suddenly very aware of his surroundings: The barrier was still descending, and all around him were enemy forces waiting on this Koopa's orders to finish him off.

"I...I-I'm...Parker Paratroopa, ma'am!" Parakarry stammered.

"Parker Paratroopa, huh?" The female Troopa's voice had an accent. Parakarry recalled Mario mentioning something once about a female Koopa Troopa who had a "New-York Mafia-Wife" accent. The mail-carrier had no idea what that meant, writing it off as some euphemism from Mario's "Earth" days. "And, Mr. Parker, just _where _do you think you are going? As you can plainly see, we're in the middle of a _very _important invasion."

Parakarry gulped and said, "Uh...yes, ma'am, of course. I was just-uh-making...a delivery! Yes, making a delivery...back to His Badness's castle." He attempted to smile and sell the lie but he knew he failed. Parakarry had never been a good liar.

The lady Troopa quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Oh, _really_? And to whom are you delivering this to, _hmm_?"

"To...to..." The Paratroopa realized he had no viable excuse. Oh well, nothing for it. Parakarry took a deep breath and said, "BOMB'S AWAY!" The mail-man tucked in his wings and the Paratroopa dropped like a rock.

"_WHAT?!" _Wendy O. Koopa, as the Troopa was named, watched in disbelief as Parakarry plummeted and nearly crashed into the streets below! That is, until he unfurled his wings at the last second and shot off at top-speed towards the Toad Town perimeter. "_GET HIM!" _Wendy shrieked, waving her magic wand haphazardly, firing off rings of energy that exploded when they made contact with anything.

"Yes, Lady Wendy, ma'am!" Came the response of the Magikoopas, Lakitus, Paratroopas and other airborne baddies in the immediate vicinity.

As her flunkies flew off, Wendy crossed her arms and pouted. "Bowser's gonna be _awfully _mad about this..." she said reproachfully.

Parakarry was zooming, enemy forces hot on his tail as he made his way to the town gates. So close. The barrier radiating out from Mushroom Castle was nearing the ground. "Gotta...make it..." Parakarry tucked his wings in once more and retreated into his shell, essentially turning into an aerodynamic missile headed straight for the perimeter of Toad Town. Had he been a second too late, he would have hit the bubble that had now touched down, sealing Toad Town off from the world. Parakarry's shell came to a bumpy and skittering halt some thirty feet beyond the dark force field. Shakily, the Paratroopa popped his head and limbs out from his carapace and looked towards the town.

The underlings that had chased him had stopped just outside the town gates, they appeared to have made it outside the barrier as well. But-wait, what was this? They were retreating _into _the barrier now! Was it only semipermeable, like the Grand Star's? Parakarry couldn't afford to find out now. Something really big and very bad was going on, and Mario needed to know. With new-found strength, the mail-carrier took to the skies and headed towards Sarasaland.

From his throne, King Bowser Koopa looked on with detached interest as his minions took over Toad Town and Mushroom Castle almost effortlessly. The monitor before him that displayed the events now showed the Koopalings gathering at the gate to Mushroom Castle to deliver Bowser's message to the masses. The seven of them were each in their own Koopa Clown Cars and had arranged themselves in a semicircle.

"_PEOPLE OF TOAD TOWN," _boomed Morton. His enormous mouth was good for projecting, at least. "_YOUR PATHETIC CAPITOL HAS BEEN CLAIMED BY HIS NASTINESS, KING BOWSER OF THE KOOPA TROOP. YOU WOULD DO WELL TO FOLLOW ALL ORDERS ISSUED BY KOOPA TROOP PERSONNEL." _The oversized Koopa hefted his own personal weapon, a bazooka-style Bullet Bill Blaster, and added, "_ANY WHO DO NOT OBEY WILL BE MET WITH DEADLY FORCE."_

Another Koopaling, this one with outrageous, dark-blue hair and bucked teeth, came forward and coughed audibly into his fist. "Ah-hem, yes, thank you, Morton," the Koopa said in a much more controlled tone than his brother's. "I am Ludwing Von Koopa, the eldest of the Koopalings and third-in-command of this operation. Our leader and his son are both currently predisposed, so you will all have to settle for me to answer your questions." Ludwing, ever the gentleman, paused to allow the citizens that had been cowed together to speak.

One townsmen, a Toad with blue spots and spectacles, asked, "Why are you all invading? What's the meaning of this?" Several other citizens verbalized their agreement with the Toadsman.

Ludwing raised a hand to silence the masses before explaining. "We are simply doing what is the justifiably right thing. Your people, the Toads and Humans, seem to have erased a very crucial bit of history. But, then again, that is to be expected. History is written by the victors, after all," he said thoughtfully.

"What...what do you mean?" A Doogan asked. He wore sunglasses and had a name tag that said "Rowf".

"It was not until very recently that the Koopa Troop discovered an ancient tome dating back to before the great Toadstool War that marked the beginning of the _Age of Stars_ in our world's history," Ludwig began, mimicking a college professor giving a lecture. "This text, thought to have been written by a Shaman known as Merlux, detailed that the lands which belong to the Mushroom Kingdom and, by extension, the royal family were once under the rule of the Koopa." He paused to savor the collective gasps and cries of falsity and then chuckled darkly. "Yes, Mushroom Citizens. Contrary to what your scholars and historians have told you, these lands were never yours. And now, we're going to wrest them back from you. We have come to reclaim the Koopa's birthright."

"You're lying!"

"That can't be true!"

"It's just one of Bowser's tricks!"

The King Koopa himself laughed when he heard the townspeople's cries of disbelief. Coincidentally, Bowser had the very same tome open to the page Ludwig had just paraphrased. The pages were something akin to papyrus, Bowser had deducted. The markings were definitely Shaman in origin, which wasn't a shock since the Shaman have been walking the soil of this world since before even the Koopa. No one gave Bowser enough credit; he really _was _intelligent...dangerously so.

Bowser shifted his attention back to the monitor and smiled wickedly. The citizens were in a frenzy over the sudden takeover of their home. _Let them be destructive and mournful. In time, they will accept this is their new reality_. The gargantuan Koopa hefted himself from his throne, text in hand and walked towards the doors at the end of the hall. A Dark Koopatrol stood to either side of the doorway, their glowing red eyes never moving from their fixed stares. Each held out an arm to open the doors and allow their king passage. Bowser stomped on towards his castle's air hanger and quickly hopped into his own Clown Car. Before taking off, His Majesty informed the guards at the carrier's entrance of his departure. "Things in Toad Town seem to be about wrapped up. I'll be heading out now. Make sure all forces are ready to mobilize when I broadcast the signal."

The two Koopatrol saluted and said, together, "Ay, ay, Lord Bowser!"

The Koopa King boarded his personal aircraft and flew off towards Toad Town, intent on claiming his new throne.

Toadsworth and the other residents of Mushroom Castle had been put in chains and were forced to wait in the throne room for hours after the Koopa Troop had taken over the capitol. The Minister looked to both his sides and saw nothing but hopelessness in the faces of the Toads that he knew so closely from their time at the castle. Toadette, who was to the elder's right, had been sobbing nonstop. She had managed to deliver a written message to Parakarry, but the Toadswoman was unsure if the Paratroopa had made it out of the city in time.

"It's going to be all right," Toadsworth said reassuringly. "I'm sure Parakarry is on his way to deliver the message to the Mario Brothers as we speak. It may take some time, but they'll rescue us, Toadette. I know it." And he did. Toadsworth had faced almost-certain death a number of times at the hands of Bowser and others like him. But no matter how dire the circumstances, the Mario Brothers always pulled through in the end. He was sure this time would be no different.

Toadette simply nodded weakly as tears continued rolling down her face. The other Toads were in no better condition. Some were openly sobbing and others had been beaten into submission by the Koopa Troop's forces. All-in-all, the takeover had been swift and absolute. Enemy forces had come in waves and completely overran Toad Town, all while the Grand Star-now a corrupted Ztar-generated a barrier which blanketed the entire capitol to trap any citizens who attempted, or would attempt, escape. The Koopalings, that sinister brood that Bowser concocted as an answer to the lack of "under-bosses" in his ranks, had been watching over the entire event along with the Magikoopa viziers to Bowser: Kamek and Kammy Koopa. Once the fighting and looting had settled, they gathered as many citizens that were still out as possible to make their intentions known.

_"To reclaim the Koopa's birthright." _That had been what Bowser Jr. had said when Toadsworth pleaded to know the meaning behind the Koopa Prince's actions. Junior had finished with those words before knocking out Toadsworth with his Magic Paintbrush knockoff. He still wasn't quite sure what any of this meant, but, with any luck, Mario would be here to take care of it before things grew too dire.

-_BOOM!-_

The large wooden doors of the throne room flew open as Bowser Jr., followed by Kamek and Iggy Koopa, stomped in. The three were in what seemed like an argument. Or, to be better said, Kamek and Iggy were arguing, Junior seemed to just be growing tired of them.

"-can't be using that much Star Energy for such an extended period of time! We'll need to post heavy security at all gates and major junctions of the capitol," Kamek was saying intensely.

"You _clearly _underestimate my technological genius," Iggy retorted in his nasally, grating voice. He sounded as if he had a case of severe sore throat. "The Dark Wave Generator that His Princeship attached to the Grand Star Defense Bubble will allow us nigh-infinite usage of the Star-I mean, Ztar's power. No chances of it backfiring, nope, not at all."

"Insolent-" Kamek smacked his own forehead and exhaled audibly. The trio had reached the throne at the opposite end of the room, all three utterly ignoring the line of prisoners against the wall. "Your Highness," the wizened old Magikoopa said to Junior with as much restraint as his aged bones could muster. "We cannot run such a risk."

"Whatever, Kamek," Junior grumbled as he sat down on the throne. "If it gets you two to shut up, then have it your way. Dad will be here soon and I don't want you or anyone else upsetting him." He glared at Iggy and said, "And _you_. You had better tell your brothers and sisters the same thing. I don't want any upsets while His Noxiousness is here, understood?"

Iggy frowned but answered with a, "Yes, Prince Bowser Jr." The lanky Koopaling then took his leave, his acid-green, palm-tree hair bobbing from side to side as he walked off.

After the Koopaling had left the throne room, Junior turned his attention to the prisoners and sneered. "Alright, you lot, here's what's going to happen: King Bowser, my dad, is gonna be here shortly to personally oversee Toad Town's reconstruction as the Koopa Troop's own capitol city. Luckily for you guys, this means you get to be hostages!"

"Hostages?!" Toadsworth said, aghast. "I absolutely refuse to allow you to harm these innocent Toads! You will not!" The elder attempted to charge at Junior but was stopped short due to the chains. He fell face first and groaned.

Junior and Kamek laughed at the Minister's actions. The Magikoopa said, "You'd do well to remember your position, Toadsworth. We don't plan on actually killing any of you, but you'd better play along when we need you to, or else you'll be in for a world of hurt."

"Play...along?" Toadsworth struggled to his feet. "How so?"

"Simple," Kamek responded. "The Mushroom Kingdom is vast, and it's no secret that several of its major cities and towns are governed by a less-powerful authority figure than the Princess, or you. We want to make this take-over as painless as possible, so whenever we invade a new location, you'll be pleading for whoever lives there to surrender to the Koopa Troop by royal decree."

"What?!" The old Toad paled. "You cannot be serious! I cannot ask the citizens of this kingdom to willingly give their freedom away!"

Without a word, Kamek pointed his wand at a random prisoner and fired a spell! The burst of magic hit the Toad and caused him to transform into a simple Block.

_"KEN T.! NO!" _The Toadswoman beside the victim of Kamek's spell started crying hysterically and hugging the Block as she sobbed. "_MY POOR BABY! NO!"_

Toadsworth looked vacantly from the Toadswoman to Kamek and back again. "I'll do it..." He said finally. "I'll...I'll play the part of your martyr. Just...don't hurt my people. Please." His voice rang hollow in the large hall, and all but the woman lamenting over her son were silent.

Junior finally nodded and said, "I'm glad you see things our way, Gramps." He then turned to Kamek and jabbed a claw at him. "As for you, escort these prisoners down into the dungeons below the castle. No reason for Dad to have to look at a sorry bunch of toadstools when he's here."

Kamek bowed silently and waved his wand, causing the prisoners' chains to magically detach from the wall. To the Toads, the wizard barked, "Follow me and stay silent! If any of you try any funny business, you'll end up the same as that Block!" He then led the prisoners out of the throne room.

As Toadsworth shuffled along, he hung his head in sorrow. Toadette patted his back from behind and muttered, "You did the right thing, Toadsworth."

The old Toad simply nodded to show he understood. But, he couldn't shake the feeling that, in bending the knee so easily, he had sealed the kingdom's fate.


End file.
